Final Battle
by NinjaMelissa
Summary: The Ninja and Mel (my OC) must fight in the Final Battle against the Overlord, but when Mel is severely injured by the Overlord, the Ninja must save her before it's too late. Takes place during "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master" (first story, no flames but would appreciate reviews)
1. Chapter 1

_Note: I do not own Ninjago or it's characters, I only own my OC. Otherwise zane wouldn't of died in the last episode. _

(Mel's POV)

There we were, stuck on the Dark Island with no way off and Lloyd, the Green Ninja, injured. Kai and the other Ninja stared over the ocean, where the black clouds now symbolizing Ninjago were looming. I sat next to Lloyd as Dr. Julien wrapped his injured leg. "Can I still fight?" Lloyd asked. Dr. Julien shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, that leg will take weeks to heal." "We don't have weeks!" Lloyd exclaimed, then grimaced in pain. "Let me see what I can do..." I placed my hands on his leg and said a healing spell, mostly healing it. "That's the best I can do, it's still injured but at least you can walk now." I said, removing my hands. He smiled and hugged me, "Thank you, Mel!" Dr. Julien and I helped Lloyd stand up and we walked over to the group. "There has to be some message to learn. A lesson. A word of wisdom? Just a word? Something!" Kai pleaded. Sensei Wu just shook his head and sighed, "For once, there is nothing to learn. Other than, evil has won."

Everyone looked across the ocean at our home under attack. "Well, if Sensei doesn't have a lesson then I do. I used to be nothing but trouble then I met you guys. You took me in, you taught me the importance of being brave, the importance of being strong. And most importantly, being good." He tried to place his foot on the ground, but grimaced again, "When the first Spinjitzu Master battled the Overlord, and his back was against the wall and he knew it was all over, did he quit? No, he found a way to keep the fight going. He passed his elemental powers to us, of all people a bunch of kids! There must've been a reason he chose us. I like to think its because he knew we'd never back down, we'd never give up! We've learned the ancient ways of the ninja, and Ninja Never Quit!" Kai stood up, "He's right. Even if that means we have to swim the sea to get off this island, then so be it." He started to walk into the water as Jay spoke nervously, "The ENTIRE ocean?! But I didn't bring my floaties.." "Really Jay? Floaties?" I asked. "What?" "Well if you've got a better plan..." Cole interrupted. Then Zane spoke up, "I don't, but he may." He pointed to the sky, where the falcon was gliding. "The falcon! He must've found something!" Dr. Julien said. Cole turned to me, "Mel, how many people can you carry at once?" "As many as needed." I replied. I shifted into a large white dragon and everyone climbed on.

We followed the falcon to a familiar mountain and up to the top where the Temple of Light was located. Everyone climbed off as Zane said, "He brought us back to the Temple of Light. I do not understand, we've already been here." Misako pulled out a scroll and looked between it and the Temple, "This location...I've seen this before. I just..never understood it." Everyone walked inside and looked around at the large space, from the walls that showed our past adventures to the pillars from which we gained our elemental kimonos and blades. Kai walked over to one of the pillars and noticed something unusual. "I think I found something! It's just like the map!" He drew his blade and inserted into the slot. "There's one more over there." Sensei pointed out. "And here." Dr. Julien said. "And over here!" said Misako. The other three Ninja drew their blades and inserted them into the individual slots, then a loud grinding noise was heard. "What is it?!" Kai asked. Everyone on the center circle backed off as a dusty golden Mech rose from the ground. "Cool!" Jay exclaimed. "It's the fighting suit the First Spinjitzu Master used when he battled the Overlord." Misako explained. Cole climbed up the Mech and sat in the cockpit, "You mean the First Spinjitzu Master once sat here! Get outta here! How do you make this thing work?" Dr. Julien sighed, "I think time has done her in, she's only a relic now." Sensei Wu walked up and gently touched the Mech's arm, "If it worked for the First Spinjitzu Master, then maybe it'll work for the next Spinjitzu Master..." "It's worth a shot." Lloyd said as he climbed up. Cole climbed out of the cockpit as Lloyd climbed it. "Hey, watch out!" Cole called down.. Lloyd moved several of the levers, but nothing happened. "Huh, nothin." he said, then the Mech powered on. The Mech glowed gold and slowly moved, everyone gasped in awe at the sight. "Woah!" Cole yelled. "Lookin' good!" Kai called. "Aw, killer!" Jay exclaimed. "Amazing." Zane said. "How does the leg feel now?" Sensei called. "Stronger!" Lloyd replied, moving the Mech's right leg before raising a glowing sword in triumph. "Well, I know how he's getting to Ninjago, but what about us?" Misako asked. "Mel can't fly us that far of a distance without using all of her energy." Zane reminded. Just then, everyone heard a familiar roar in the distance. "Hey I know that sound...it's our Dragon!" Jay cheered. "I believe we just found our way off this rock." Sensei said. Everyone raced outside as Ultra Dragon landed, Lloyd following in his new Mech. "I can carry a few people so Ultra Dragon's not crowded." I said. They nodded and agreed, I shifted into a dragon and Jay, Zane and Dr. Julien climbed on. The rest climbed onto Ultra Dragon and we took off. Lloyd kept flying past us, cheering and laughing in his Mech. "He sure is having fun." I smiled.

Then we crossed the ocean and started to fly over the black and purple clouds. Kai yelled out, "I see Ninjago, we're not far away!" I felt a growing bad feeling as I saw the darkest part of the clouds. "Are you sure that's Ninjago?" Cole asked nervously. Lloyd dove into the dark clouds to investigate, Ultra Dragon and I dove in after him. As soon as we broke through the clouds, we came face to face with a large skyscraper with the roof glowing a dark purple. "What is that thing?!" Kai asked. "Garmatron." Sensei replied. "It's turned into a fortress?" Misako asked. "But where's the Overlord?" Dr. Julien pointed out. Lloyd flew to the streets with us right behind him, I didn't want to turn away from the fortress for I could feel the Overlord lurking on the rooftop. We landed on the streets and everyone climbed down; Kai, Jay and Cole looked around the corner and saw the inhabitants of Ninjago City possessed and wandering aimlessly. "He's turned everyone evil!" Kai said. "Just like Nya!" Jay realized. "And now they're helping his cause!" Cole said. "I think they're mostly just wandering around." I said. They turned and stared at me. "It's true." I muttered, looking at the ground. "I can't wait to see the look on the Overlord's face when he gets a load of us!" Cole said, just before a loud siren went off. Everyone turned and watched in horror as a large dragon erupted from the Garmatron, a blast of Dark Matter heading straight for us. Everyone jumped back as it landed on the street directly in front of us. "Is that the look you were hoping for?" Zane asked. "Zane, no." Jay replied. Misako stared at the dragon, "The metamorphosis is complete! The Overlord's changed into his original form." "How are we going to get to the top?" Cole asked. "He will attack if we fly directly to the top." I said. "We have my father's Golden Mech, we'll have to draw their fire to help Lloyd get to the top." Cole nodded, "We here ya loud and clear." "I'll fight with Lloyd on the ground, try to hit anyone trying to stop us." They nodded and everyone climbed onto Ultra Dragon, except for Zane. "Uh, Mel? I have something I've been wanting to tell you..." he said, turning slightly pink. "Yes, Zane?" I asked, hopeful. I've had a huge crush on him ever since I first met him, I've always wanted to say something but bailed before I could. I've always hoped he felt the same way I did. "Uh..be careful." He rushed onto the dragon and they flew off, leaving me a little disappointed. "Oh..okay. I guess..." I muttered. The dragon flew at the Garmatron, dodging flaming saws and arrows. "Let's go." Lloyd said. I shifted into a large silver wolf and walked beside him through the empty streets. Once the coast was clear, we charged. Lloyd brought out his sword and cut through the wall, I attacked right away, taking down at least ten as Lloyd swiped at thirty. "Ninjaaa-oh! No!" I turned and saw the Mech's arm was blasted off. Lloyd was defenseless, we heard a harsh laugh from above and saw it was Dark Nya. A few more hits and the Golden Mech collapsed, I rushed over and guarded Lloyd as he climbed out of the cockpit. The stone army surrounded us as the Ninja jumped from Ultra Dragon. "I'm okay!" Lloyd called. "Yeah, but are we?" Jay said nervously.

The army charged and we dodged swords and arrows, until the siren was heard. Everyone looked up and saw the darkness head straight for us. "ICE!" Zane yelled, creating an ice shield around us. "Good job, Zane!" Jay called. But then shots were heard, shattering the ice shield. "FIRE!" Kai yelled, intercepting the blast causing a large explosion midair. Nya screamed at us, then left to reload. "I know we've always drawn a crowd, but this is ridiculous!" Jay joked as we fought the stone warriors. "How can you be making jokes at a time like this?!" Kai yelled at him. "Hey, if I'm going down, might as well go down laughing!" He retorted. "If this is how we're going to go down, I'm proud to fighting along side my brothers and sister." Zane said. "Here here!" Jay cheered. "You're the best brothers any girl could ask for!" I said. "Keep fighting! Never give up!" Lloyd yelled. "Ninja Never Quit!" Kai yelled. We battled the warriors, dodging and deflecting blades, using spinjitzu, until shots were heard. Nya fired at us, and with one blast, knocked us all to the ground. Everyone crawled back to back and deflected the warriors' katanas. "We're doomed, guys!" Jay cried. The warriors brought back their swords for the final blow, when they froze directly above our heads.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly stood up. "What happened?" Kai asked. "They are frozen." Zane replied. "But why?" I asked. Suddenly, the stone army general yelled out, "All hail the brown ninja! What do you command?!" Everyone was confused. "Brown ninja?!" Jay asked in disbelief. Ultra Dragon landed and everyone saw Dareth wearing the Helmet of Shadows, "Was up, fellas? Guess we all know who's in command now!" "The helmet controls the army, well done!" Cole realized. "Now that means we stand a fighting chance!" Jay cheered. "I need to get to the top of that fortress! I may not be able to get there by myself, but with your help I can face him!" Lloyd said. Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane pulled out their elemental blades as the six of us cheered, "NINJAAA GO!" The four blades connected and the elements came to life. Dareth walked over, "Where did you get those? I want one!" Kai smiled and handed him his blade, "You two, brown ninja. Today, you're one of us. Shall we do this once more? Just for old times sake?" He held up the blade and yelled, "Ninja go!" Dareth turned to the army, "Army about face!" The army turned and faced the stairway. "Stone army, go!" The army charged up and we followed behind. I led the way, Kai and Zane behind me with Jay and Cole supporting Lloyd.

Several flights up, the siren was heard. I looked up and saw a large mass of Dark Matter plummeting straight for Lloyd. "Look out!" Jay and I screamed. Lloyd was pulled out of the way, but Cole was hit. His skin started to turn ashen gray and his kimono turned purple. "Cole! Come on, get up!" Lloyd pleaded. "I-I'm hit! Go! Go on...without me!" He fell to his knees as Kai said, "We need to move, now!" Jay carried Lloyd as we left Cole behind. Several more flights up, the siren was heard again. Before I could turn, Lloyd screamed, "Jaaaay!" "Get out of the way!" Jay yelled as he started to turn gray. "Don't look, just keep climbing!" Kai told Lloyd as he and Zane carried him up. 'He keeps targeting Lloyd, he won't stop till he's hit' I turned to the last three, "You take Lloyd to the top, I'll distract the Overlord." They nodded, but Lloyd looked completely frightened. I gave him a hug, "Good luck, Lloyd." I shifted into my dragon form and flew up to the top where a large black and purple dragon waited. His smile was more of a snarl, showing his long, sharp, white teeth. "You're not the Green Ninja, why bother fighting me if you're going to lose anyway?!" the Overlord mocked. I snarled back, "I may not be the chosen one, but I will protect my family. Even if it costs me my life!" I lunged at him, the battle turning into a whirlwind of claws and wings. But then he pinned me down, his claws digging into my wings, puncturing them. "You're a fool for challenging me!" He dragged his claws down, slicing open my wings. I screamed in pure pain as I felt warm blood soak my wings. I kicked him off me, then I froze when I heard Zane a few flights below us. My heart stopped as the Overlord turned to the sound of his voice and smiled. "NO!" I screamed. I spread out my damaged wings to protect them, but it was his plan all along. Before I could react, he drew back and sliced my chest open. I screamed as warm blood streamed through the deep wounds, I lost my balance and toppled off the rooftop. As I plummeted down, I saw Zane get hit with Dark Matter and Kai battle his sister. I crashed onto the cement and screamed out in agony, but somehow remained conscious. I slowly shifted back to my human form, feeling the wounds change from my wings to my arms. I didn't dare look at the damage done, all I could do was watch the Final Battle unfold above me.


	2. Chapter 2

(Lloyd's POV)

I limped up the stairs, losing my balance only once. As I reached the top, a loud crash was heard as well as a loud scream. I didn't have time to wonder about it, the Overlord turned and looked down at me. Blood was dripping off of his claws, making me feel sick. I pulled down my mask and yelled, "I have come here to fight you!" The Overlord laughed, "Your friend already tried that and she's dead! And you're in no shape to fight! It's over, evil wins!" I realized that it must've been Mel who screamed. _She's dead?! She can't be dead!_ I cleared my thoughts and yelled back, "A ninja never quits!" He laughed again, "You don't even have a sword!" I formed a ball of energy and created a shield around me, "I don't need a sword." "Then all I have to say is...goodbye!" He took in a deep breath and blew a long stream of dark matter, almost blowing me off the roof. I pushed back and I started to glow even brighter and I started levitating! Something inside me clicked and I glowed gold, I realized that I had found my true potential! "I am the Ultimate Spinjitzu Master!" The Overlord's eyes grew wide in fear, "NO!" He attacked me, with his claws drawn but I deflected his attacks. I sent a kick to his chest and he flew off the rooftop, I summoned my golden dragon and faced him. "You can't defeat me! Where there is light, there will always be shadow!" I yelled back, "Unless my light is bright enough!" Then I attacked, my golden dragon clashed with him. We plummeted to the ground, locked in a battle neither willing to lose. As we fell, I could see Kai fighting Nya, he was watching me in return. On the ground, I could see a figure lying spread out and in a dark pool. We flew back into the sky; Dark Zane, Jay and Cole watched our battle, their purple eyes glowing in the darkness. We split apart and faced each other. "This. Ends. Now." I growled. "You can't defeat me!" he screamed at me, then flew straight at me. I had no time to react as he circled me, surrounding me in darkness. I started to panic, my heart was pounding as I couldn't see anything but my dragon in the pure black darkness. Then I heard him laugh, I turned as he loomed over me. His jaws closed around me but I wouldn't go down without a fight. I glowed brighter, unleashing all of my light, destroying the Overlord and his darkness. I heard the Garmatron crumble and fall as my light acted like a shockwave, destroying the darkness in Ninjago City and beyond. From my dragon, I could see my brothers slowly standing and gathering together, Ultra Dragon landing by them. I flew down and they cheered my name. "You were brilliant, son." my mother said. "Because of you, Ninjago is saved. Because of you, there will be a tomorrow." my uncle said. "And if the Overlord ever decides to show his face again around here, we'll be ready." Kai said. "And next time we'll be a little more humble." Cole said. "And a little more wise." Zane continued. "And with better catch phrases!" Jay joked. "Lloyd?" a familiar voice asked. Everyone turned and saw a man walking towards us. "W-what happened?" "Garmadon? Is it really you?" my mom asked. "Dad?" He smiled. "Dad!" I rushed into his arms, he embraced me as my mom joined us.

Then, Zane paled, "Oh God, where's Melissa?!" He looked around frantically and sprinted to the center of the crater. My heart sank as I remembered the Overlord's words, _Your friend already tried that and she's dead! _Everyone sprinted over to them, Zane was kneeling beside her. Thankfully, she was still alive, but was hanging on just barely. She slowly turned her head and whispered hoarsely, "We...won?" I didn't think it was possible, but my heart became shattered at her labored breathing, three large gashes were across her chest, leading down onto her right leg, as well as gashes wrapping around both her arms. "Yes. We did." Zane told her softly. He looked up at his father and I was stunned to see tears pouring down his face. All the years I've known him, I've never seen him shed a tear. "We have to save her! She may not have much time left!" he pleaded. "There is only one way, but we need to hurry!" Zane gently picked her up and everyone rushed onto Ultra Dragon. I summoned my dragon and followed them to the Birchwood Forest. _She can't die! We've made it this far, I can't lose her now! She's the closest thing to a sister I have! She's watched over me and helped me become part of the family! Mel cannot die!_ After an hour of flying, Ultra Dragon landed as Zane and his father climbed off and rushed inside, I landed my dragon as everyone climbed down. "What will we do now?" Jay asked. "We'll have to wait to see how things end." my mother said sadly.

Kai and Cole paced in the snow, Jay tried to keep Nya warm in his arms and I reconnected with my father. Everyone jumped and looked to the door where her screams erupted from. After an hour, Nya checked in with Zane and his father. She came back out a few minutes later, she had tears in her eyes, "Zane doesn't know how long they will be. Their plans are to turn her into a partial-nindroid, it's the only way she can survive. Her injuries are too severe for anything else." Mel screamed again, I got up and paced with Kai and Cole. Another hour later, Kai checked in. He created a small fire to keep everyone warm. Hour three, it was Jay's turn. The fourth hour, Cole looked inside. "How much longer? I can't take the suspense of waiting much more." I said after Cole came back. He shrugged helplessly. When the fifth hour came around, I checked on them. I looked around in awe at the hollow tree, Zane and his father were still operating on her. Mel's lower body was encased in ice, as well as her arms; her hands, head and chest were the only things not frozen. "How's it going, Zane?" I asked quietly. He looked up at me, "We are almost done. Not much longer." His gaze returned to her and they continued working. As I turned back to the door, she screamed out in pure agony again. I walked outside and paced again. Finally, after another hour, Dr. Julien came outside. He was completely exhausted and sweating, everyone looked at him anxiously. "What happened? Is she okay?" I asked nervously. He said, "She's fine, but she is still unconscious. You may come in now." I felt such relief that she survived, I wanted to shout for joy. We followed him inside, Zane was still by her side, holding onto her hand. He looked up at us and had more tears in his icy blue eyes, "Kai, could you melt the ice layer on her?" He nodded and pulled out his elemental blade, melting the ice. I walked up to her side and saw the faint line of a panel, "How bad was it?" "She was critical condition throughout the entire surgery, her heart...actually stopped three times. She's lost much blood and won't wake for many more hours." I gently touched the line of her new panel. She moaned quietly, but didn't wake. _My sister survived! I can't believe it!_

We stayed for several hours before heading back to the city to rest. Kai spoke after a long period of silence, "What should we do now?" "Well, there's no more evil to fight. Maybe we should return our elemental blades to the Temple of Light?" Cole offered. "But what if something like this happens again?" Jay asked. "Hey, we've got the Golden Ninja on our side." Kai said. "Maybe we should ask if Zane wants to come with?" I asked. "We can try, but let's give them a few days to recover. Mel and Zane have been through a lot within the last twelve hours." Nya said. We checked into a hotel and spent the night there, I fell asleep in an instant.


	3. Chapter 3

(Zane's POV)

{at Ground Zero}

As I watched Lloyd embrace his father, the realization hit me that Mel wasn't with us. "Oh, God! Where's Melissa?!" I turned and ran to the center of the crater where she lay within a large pool of blood. I knelt down beside her, tears were starting to fall as I took in her injuries. Three deep gashes were on her chest, starting from under her collarbone and ending on her right hip, as well as wrapping around her arms. Her silver kimono was torn and soaked red, she turned and barely smiled at me, "We...won?" Her breathing was labored and she was already turning ashen gray, she would die soon if she didn't get medical help. "Yes. We did." I told her as I placed my hand on her cheek, she kept staring at me but her eyes started to glaze over.

"We have to save her! She doesn't have much time left!" I begged to my father. He nodded, "There is only one way, but we need to hurry!" I carefully picked her up and ran towards our dragon, my heart was pounding with every step I took. Ultra Dragon took off with Cole at the reins, my father explained his plan, "We are going to try and convert her to be a nindroid, but only for the areas that are severely damaged. It's her only chance for survival." Ultra Dragon flew as fast as he could, Kai and the others kept glancing over at us. She rested against me, I could feel her grow weaker as we flew. "Stay with me, Mel. Stay awake!" I pleaded. She reached up and placed a weak hand on my chest, leaving a red handprint. "Z-Zane...I...l-lo-" she kept repeating, dropping off at the same moment. She grew paler and started shivering in my arms as we flew closer to the treehouse, "I...f-feel..c-cold.." she whispered. "We're in the Birchwood Forest, you're going to be alright." Kai came over and sat beside us. "Could you warm her, please?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Sure." He carefully took her from my arms and tried to warm her, she kept reaching for me. As we grew closer, her shaking grew worse. "I don't think there's anything else I can do." Kai said sadly, handing her back to me. My sleeves were stained red as I held her to my chest, her head rested in the crook of my arm.

Finally, we landed and my father and I rushed inside, I carefully laid her down on the table as my father came over with his tools. I attached a heart rate monitor to her wrist, it was already slowing down. "We need anything close to anesthesia, otherwise the pain will be nearly unbearable for her." The only idea I could think of was creating a layer of ice on her body as numbing agent, but her breathing was getting even more labored as we got ready. "Z-Zane...?" she whispered. "I'm right here, you're going to be alright." I held her hand. "I...love you..I..always have.." I choked back a sob. "I love you too. You're going to survive this. I know you will!" I said, tears kept streaming down my face. She faintly smiled, tears were running down her cheeks, then she passed out. "We need to work fast, Zane. We have to get her new heart in before her old one stops." We worked for hours, even in her unconscious state she still screamed horribly in pain. We started on her left arm, her right was encased in a thin layer of ice to numb it. Every time she screamed, my heart broke, I wanted to do anything to stop it.

Everyone waited outside as we worked, checking in every so often. First to check in was Nya, then Kai, followed by Jay, Cole and Lloyd. Mel's heart stopped on three different occasions, I had to preform CPR on her to restart her heart. I cried every time she stopped breathing. We finally started working on her chest after four hours. My father gave me a blueprint for a power source, "Zane, try to build this as fast as you can, but don't make any mistakes." I got to work, he had all the necessary pieces within the workshop. Her voice cracked as she screamed, she was losing her voice. I built it within an forty-five minutes. Then, it was time to transfer in her new heart. "Her old heart will not adjust to the changes in her body, the power source will be twice as powerful and last longer than her old heart. But we need to act quickly, or she will die." he explained. I held her new artificial heart, and noticed that it was completely identical to mine. "Ready Zane? One...two...three!" The transfer was quick, but for several seconds her new heart wasn't working and she wasn't breathing. I held her hand, waiting for any signs of life. "Come on, Mel! Please don't die! I love you too much for you to die!" Finally, it started to glow and pulse as a normal heart would. She gasped for air and tried to catch her breath. I cried for joy as she started breathing. "We're done. She's going to be fine." my father said relieved.

I closed her new panel with a shaky hand as her breathing returned to normal, her color was returning slowly. "Thank you." I whispered, holding onto her hand. My father left to tell the rest the good news, I realized her upper body was completely exposed. I put a blanket on her as my brothers walked down the stairs, it was nearly silent except for the sounds of their footsteps and her gasps for air. My brothers walked up to her side, Lloyd looked the most relieved. He and Mel always had a close relationship, she once explained it was a 'brother/sister' relationship. "How severe was it?" Lloyd asked quietly. "She was critical condition throughout the entire surgery, her heart...actually stopped three times. She's lost much blood and won't wake for many more hours." Lloyd gently touched the line of her new panel. She moaned quietly. Her panel covered her chest, but the gashes on her stomach and hip would require stitches and would remain as scars. They spend several hours with us, before leaving to go rest. After they left, I wrapped up her stomach with clean bandages and put one of my old white shirts on her. I stayed by her side, falling asleep for several hours. I woke when I felt her stir, she tossed and turned slightly, mumbling my name. Finally, she opened her eyes, glancing around before finally spotting me, "...Zane..? W-where am I?"


	4. Chapter 4

(Mel's POV)

Within the darkness, I could feel excruciating pain that I could barely handle. I kept hearing Zane's voice, telling me to stay alive. He kept repeating, "Stay with me, Mel. Stay awake!" I tried to stay awake, but the darkness felt so soothing and relaxing. Then, everything stopped. The pain was gone, Zane was silent, I couldn't even hear myself breathe or my own heartbeat. I started to panic, what was happening to me?! Why can't I hear my heartbeat? Why can't I hear Zane?!

Then I could feel the pounding in my chest, it felt slightly different than before. Almost like a pulsing, instead of a beat. I could hear Lloyd's voice with Zane's, it sounded like they were talking about me. Was I dead? My answer was my heartbeat and my gasps for air, as well as the pain returning to my upper body. I slowly gained consciousness, opening my eyes to an almost unfamiliar environment. I looked around and saw Zane sitting beside me, holding my hand and smiling. My heart melted at his smile.

"...Zane..? W-where am I?" I asked, my throat burned from dryness. "You're in my old home, you've been unconscious for twenty-three hours." _Wait, what? Twenty-three hours?! _I tried to sit up, but grimaced and yelped as a burning pain shot through my upper body. Zane gently pushed me back down, I rested my head on the pillow. "You need to rest. You fell over seventy-five stories and just went through surgery." he said softly. I looked around, "Where are the others?" "They left hours ago. They wanted to give you space to recover." he replied. I said softly, "Thank you." Zane nodded and smiled. Black crept around the edge of my sight, then I passed out.

{3 days later}

I woke up after, what felt like, a few hours and looked around. I saw that Zane was sleeping in his bed across the room. _He must be exhausted. I don't want to disturb him_. I decided that I felt strong enough to walk by myself so I slowly swung my legs off the metal table, I wondered why I was wearing a plain white shirt. _I wasn't wearing this before..weird_. As soon as I was off the table, my legs became shaky and promptly gave out. I collapsed with a loud yelp as I hit the floor, I heard footsteps running over to me. Pale arms wrapped themselves around me as Zane asked, "What happened?" "I tried to walk but my legs gave out on me." I said, turning pink from embarrassment. He helped me stand but I was still shaky. He started to lead me back to the table when I stopped him, "Could you help me? I really need to move around." He nodded and wrapped his arms around my waist and we started walking across the room, my legs kept buckling as we walked.

We turned around and started heading back when something in the mirror startled me. I turned and realized it was me; I looked like I lost forty pounds, I was almost as pale as Zane, my hair was a complete mess and my arms and chest felt completely different. "How long was I out for? It couldn't have been more than a few hours." "Three days." I turned to him, "What?" "You've been unconscious for three days." I was at a loss for words, until I asked, "My memory's still fuzzy, what happened after the Final Battle?" He looked at me through the mirror, "What's the last thing you remember?"

I thought back and remembered my fight with the Overlord, the flight on Ultra Dragon, Zane holding me in his arms and...telling him that I loved him. _I love you too_ Zane told me, it was one of the last things I remembered before today. Did he actually mean it, or was it like a brother/sister love? "I was fighting the Overlord and he was about to hit you with dark matter. I had to spread out my wings to try to block it, but he had slashed my wings and...a few things after." Zane looked at me through the mirror and sighed, "The Overlord cut your chest severely and you fell from the top of the Garmatron. Lloyd unleashed his potential and all of Ninjago was purged from the darkness." "What happened to Garmadon?" "Both the darkness and the Devourer's venom were removed from him. Everyone checked in on you while you were unconscious." I thought back three days ago and remembered that he said I went through surgery. I didn't see any marks on my arms and I wasn't going to check my chest with Zane right next to me. "You said that I went through surgery, do I have scars from it?" He remained silent and looked away guiltily. I grew nervous, "Zane? What happened?" He finally spoke, "You were dying, there was only one way to save your life." _I was dying?!_ "What do you mean?" He reached up to my chest and opened...my panel?! I could see myself grow paler, I actually became paler than Zane! "I-I'm a..." "Partial-nindroid. There's metal in your arms and chest. You have a new heart as well."

I couldn't help it, I started to cry. _I-I can't believe it, Zane saved my life! _He still looked guilty, "I'm so sorry. There was nothing else to do, if we didn't do this...you would've died." "I'm not crying because I'm sad, I'm crying because I know my family will do anything to save my life." Zane held me to his chest and smiled. I tried not to blush as I hugged him, then he quietly said, "There was one other thing..." I was confused, "What?" "Well...you said that..um.." My heart skipped a beat. "That I loved you?" "You remember?!" I smiled wearily as I looked up at him, "I remember you said you loved me too." He laughed happily and twirled me around.

Without thinking twice, I leaned up to him and we kissed. _My first kiss!_ my mind screamed, I blushed at the thought. "I love you, Zane." "I love you, Mel." I started to feel weaker and leaned on him for support. He picked me up as if I weighed nothing and gently placed me on his bed and sat next to me. I rested on him and sighed happily as he wrapped his arm around me. "Um, Mel? Would you...when you're feeling better...like to-" "Yes!" I said excitedly. He smiled and chuckled, "You didn't let me finish." I yawned, "I would've said yes to anything you asked." I could feel the darkness surround me, I started to lose consciousness quickly. I could barely hear Zane ask, "Mel? Are you alright?" I tried to say something, but collapsed and everything went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

(Zane's POV)

"Mel? Are you alright?" She mumbled something then collapsed onto my lap. I shook her shoulder but she didn't respond, I checked her pulse and it was strong. _She must've passed out from exhaustion._ I laid her on the bed and stayed by her side, smiling as I thought about our conversation. _I love you, Zane_ kept repeating in my head. _She loves me! She actually loves me! I can't believe it, the girl I've loved since the day I first met her, loves me back!_ I heard the door open and my father come down the stairs, "Did she wake up?" I turned and nodded, "Yes, for about ten minutes. She tried to walk while I slept but was too weak. I helped her move around, she needs much support and exhausts easily." He placed the grocery bags on the table, "She will be like this for a few weeks until her body has adjusted to the major changes. Did anything else happen?" "I reminded her about the Final Battle, as well as a few other topics..."

My father turned to me with a curious expression, "And what's that?" I didn't know if it was possible for me to, but I might've blushed slightly. "Well, when she's recovered enough, we're going on a date." He smiled, "That's nice to hear, but you do know that it will be several weeks before you two can go out on your date." I nodded, but then became nervous, "Father, what does one do on a date?" "You spend time together, bonding over common likes and interests. You learn about each other and just have a nice time." "Where would we go?" "You could take her anywhere; a nice restaurant, on a picnic, by the river. Pretty much anywhere nice." I thought about it and smiled, "Thank you, father."

Over the next several days, she would wake for a half hour at a time, then collapse again from exhaustion. This would happen several times in one day. "Zane...why am I...so tired?" she gasped. As her physical therapy, we've been walking up and down the stairway. "Your body is still adjusting to the major changes. My father says that you'll be like this for a few weeks until your body's adapted to it." She groaned. "I know you hate this, but you'll be stronger in time." I told her. She nodded and started to drop from exhaustion. "I'm glad to...spend time with you.." she quietly said. I picked her up and I laid her down on the bed, she had already fallen asleep in my arms. Was it bad that I imagined a future with her? She is the only one I want to be with, did she feel the same way? I hope to know in time.


	6. Chapter 6

(Zane's POV)

Several weeks later, Mel had finally recovered enough to go outside for the first time. I had planned out a picnic in her favorite park and we were waiting for Ultra Dragon to come. As he landed, I picked her up and carried her onto the dragon. She giggled as we climbed on. "So, where's our date going to be?" she asked. "It's a surprise." I blindfolded her and she held onto me as we flew to the park. "This is weird, not being able to see." she giggled. Ultra Dragon landed and I carried her down, he flew away as I brought her over to the picnic.

She smiled as I sat her down on the blanket. "Zane, can I please look now?" she asked, feeling around for me. I took her blindfold off and she gasped, "Oh Zane! It's lovely, thank you so much!" As I sat down next to her, she leaned over and kissed me. "You're welcome." I said with a slight blush. As I unpacked the picnic basket, she cuddled with me and sighed contently. As we relaxed in the shade, we talked about our likes and eventually hopes for the future. "What do you hope will happen in our future?" I asked, wrapping my arm around her. She looked up at me with a bright gleam in her eyes, "Our future?" _Did I accidentally say 'our'?_ "Oh, um..." She smiled and kissed my cheek, "I hope our relationship will grow and we stay together forever. What about you?" "I hope for the same, I know we will stay together." She smiled and we kissed.

But then we heard familiar voices calling at us. "Woah, you were right Jay! Frosty here can kiss!" Surprised, we broke apart and turned to their voices. Kai, Jay, Cole and Nya were at the bottom of the hill, Nya squealed and raced towards us. "Oh my God, you two are dating! That's so sweet! I knew you two liked each other!" She hugged us and started rambling about the last few months, Mel looked confused as Nya talked. Mel held up her hands, "Hang on, I'm totally lost. Start from the beginning and slow down."

Nya took in a deep breath as my brothers walked up the hill, "Okay. Three months ago, after we checked in on you, we went to the Dark Island and they returned their elemental blades to the Temple of Light." "All four? Even yours, Zane?" "While you were unconscious, they came and I gave them my blade." "Why didn't you go with them?" "I was watching over you, I didn't want to leave your side." Nya cooed, "Aw, you are so sweet. We flew to the Dark Island and after the Temple of Light, we found the wreckage of the Bounty and they used the Tornado of Creation to rebuild it." "How did you do that without Zane?" "Lloyd's creation element was able to act as a substitute this time." Jay explained. Mel looked around, "Where's Lloyd now?" "He's touring around Ninjago, accepting awards and praise for destroying the Overlord." She nodded and rested against me. "So, how long have you two been dating?" Nya asked excitedly. I said, "Well, this is our first official date. We've had smaller dates before, but this is our first date outside my home." Nya blushed from embarrassment, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just..we haven't seen you two in so long, we just wanted to say 'hi'."

Mel smiled, "It's alright, it's nice to see you guys. So what are you doing here?" Kai said, "There was a disturbance nearby and we came to check it out. It wasn't much, just a minor robbery. Afterwards, Jay and Nya decided to take a walk through here, and I had to make sure Jay didn't do anything I wouldn't like." Nya rolled her eyes and Jay blushed, Mel laughed, "That sounds like something you would do, Kai. What about you, Cole?" He shrugged, "I just tagged along. I had nothing better to do." "We should be going, let you two enjoy your date." Nya said. The rest agreed and stood up. "It was nice to see you again." Mel said, hugging them. They waved and headed back down the hill, she sat back down next to me. I wrapped my arm back around her as she laid against my chest. "That was nice, I haven't seen them in months." I nodded and thought back to the last time I saw them...

(Flashback)

The second day after her surgery, she was still unconscious and groaned whenever she had surges of pain. I was making lunch when I heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" I called. The door opened and my brothers walked down the spiral staircase and embraced me. "How are you, Zane?" Cole asked. "How's Mel?" Lloyd asked, glancing over to her. "I am doing well, she has been unconscious since yesterday. But her health has been improving since her surgery. What are you four doing here?" Kai said, "We are heading for the Dark Island in a few hours. We wanted to know if you wanted to come with us." I looked back to Mel, "How long would we be gone for?" "About a day or so." "Why are you heading to the Island?" "Since the Overlord's been defeated and Garmadon's now good, there's no one to fight. We're returning our elemental blades to the Temple." I thought about it. _What if she wakes while I'm gone? Since Father is in Ninjago City for business, he said that he wouldn't be back for a few days. She would be alone without any protection._ "Zane? Hello? Ninjago to Zane?" Jay waved his hand in front of me, I cleared my head. "I am sorry, I became lost in thought." Lloyd asked, "So are you coming with?" I shook my head, "I am sorry, I can't come with you. I have to watch over her. Do you need my elemental blade?" Cole said, "Yes, we do." I walked over to where she lay, I reached beside her and pulled out the blade. I handed it to them and they nodded, "Thank you, Zane." "Will you come back to Ninjago after you're done?" "Yes, we will. We have to go. Bye, Zane, see you soon." They took one last look at her then walked out the door, Jay waved as he left.

(Present day)

..."Zane? Are you okay?" I blinked several times as the memory dissipated. "Yes, I'm sorry. I became lost in thought." "I do that all the time. What were you thinking about?" "The last time I saw them." "Tell me about it." As I recalled the memory, she laid upside down across my lap and listened intently, never interrupting and smiling the entire time. As I finished, I had to ask, "Why were you smiling?" "I was enjoying how you told the story; your eyes lit up and I could see you remembering it clearly. I thought it was cute." We stayed for another hour, watching the sun set from our spot.

Once the sun had set, the temperatures began to drop quickly as we packed up. I was about to call for our dragon when she placed her hand on my arm, "Don't worry about Ultra Dragon. I can get us home in a flash." "How?" "Just hold onto me and you'll see..." I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and she closed her eyes, I watched as everything around us shifted and disappeared, changing into the main area of the Treehouse. She nearly fainted as soon as everything was clear. "What happened?" I asked, picking her up. Her eyes started to close as she mumbled, "Teleporting...haven't done that...in awhile.." I laid her down as she fell asleep, her grip on my hand was surprisingly strong. "Please..stay with me.." she mumbled. I laid down next to her and she smiled then fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

(Zane's POV)

I woke up when something moved next to me, or, I realized, someone. I opened my eyes and found her still asleep, she was resting on my chest, arms were wrapped around me. _I must've fallen asleep without realizing it_. I managed to gently slide her off and stood up, I had started to make breakfast when I noticed a note left by my father: Zane, I will be staying in Ninjago City for several days. I will try to be home as soon as possible. -Your father (PS, You two looked adorable sleeping together). I felt myself blush and placed the note back on the table, continuing to make breakfast.

About fifteen minutes later, she finally woke up, "Morning Zane. What're you doing?" I turned and replied, "I'm making breakfast, are you hungry?" She nodded and slowly stood up, promptly falling backwards. I helped her stand, "Are you feeling well?" She nodded, "Just lost my balance, I'm alright." She walked over to the table and picked up the note. "Oh, I wouldn't read that.." I tried to say. She grinned and laughed, "We slept together?" I stuttered, "Uh, y-yes we did." She giggled at my stuttering and kissed my cheek, "Don't worry, I know nothing happened."

She helped me finish breakfast and we sat down and ate. "So, what do you wanna do today?" she asked as she cleaned the dishes. "Why don't we walk around Ninjago City, see if we can help with the reconstruction?" "It sounds like fun, when should we go?" "When you're ready." She finished the dishes and I turned away as she got dressed. "Should I call the dragon?" I asked as we walked outside. She shook her head, "I want to try shifting today, is that alright?" "Don't push yourself too hard." I cautioned. She closed her eyes and slowly changed into a white dragon, large enough for one person to ride. "How do you feel?" I asked. "I feel fine, climb on."

We flew from the Birchwood Forest to the outskirts of Ninjago City, I could already see the scaffolding and construction workers. She landed and I climbed off as she shifted back, staggering slightly. "Are you alright?" I asked. She nodded and said, "Yes, I'm fine." We walked into the city, her hand laced with mine as we strolled through. We were in the main part of the city when someone shouted, "Hey, look! It's two of the Ninja!" Suddenly, camera crews and photographers surrounded us, Mel became frightened and started backing up slowly. They kept asking us questions about where we've been and if we were dating, blinding us with camera flashes and overwhelming us with questions. I turned to her as she kept backing up, "Mel?"

She suddenly tripped and fell backwards on the sidewalk, the crowd gasped as her panel popped opened slightly. I knelt beside her as the cameras flashed, I closed her panel and helped her stand. "Are you a robot?" "Have you always been like this?" "Is your boyfriend a robot too?" She ran away from the crowd, I chased after her as did they. As I ran passed an alley, I felt hands grab me and pulled me in, someone covered my mouth. The camera crews and photographers ran past the alley without any hesitation, as soon as they were gone I turned to see who grabbed me. Mel slid down the wall, shaking and pale. I sat next to her, "Are you alright?" She just shook her head, I held her in my lap and she hid in my arms. "I can't believe that happened! I just made a complete fool of myself!" she said, her voice muffled by my tee shirt. I rubbed her back and tried to hush her, "You didn't make a fool of yourself, you fell and it just happened. There was nothing you could've done to prevent it." She remained silent and hid in my arms, I could feel her body shake as she cried.

After about ten minutes, I helped her stand up, she stopped before we walked out of the alley. She used a spell and changed her clothes and she braided her hair, trying to change her appearance. I held her hand and we walked out onto the sidewalk, if we heard any sign of the news crew, we would turn and hide. After an hour of walking around, I took her to an outdoor cafe and we were able to finally relax. "How are you doing?" She smiled and held my hands from across the table, "Much better. This has been nice, just the two of us." After we ate, we walked around visiting several small shops along the way. When we reached the city's center, we saw the construction workers and volunteers cleaning up the rubble of the Garmatron.

We saw the man in charge and walked up to him. He was in a wheelchair, had kind features, short black hair, glasses and smiled when we approached, "Ah, are you two volunteers?" She nodded, "Yes, we would like to help clean up. What's going to be built here after the debris is removed?" His eyes brightened as he explained his vision, "My new headquarters will be built on this very spot, to show evil that we won't back down! Ninjago City will become the city of the future, with inventions and new visions to light up this city!" "Wait, are you Cyrus Borg?" He smiled, "Yes, my dear. How did you know?" "One of my friends says that you're his idol." I whispered, "Jay?" She nodded. "Are you the Ninja?" Cyrus asked quietly. I nodded, she averted her eyes and fidgeted with her braid. "I'm sorry, I heard someone shout about two of the Ninja and you looked like them." She barely nodded, "Yes, that was about us. So, can we help out?" "Of course, help is always welcome."

We got to work, lifting and moving rubble and clearing out the streets. Mel used her elemental powers to move debris; like Lloyd, she can control all four, but to a lesser degree. Several hours later, everyone started heading home. I looked around for her and found her talking to Cyrus, they exchanged papers and she walked over to me, smiling. She held out her hand and I took it, "Ready to go home?" I nodded, we walked to the edge of the city and she shifted to her dragon form. I climbed on and we flew home. "Did you have fun today, Zane?" she asked. "Yes, I got to spend the day with you." I replied as she landed in the snow. After she had shifted back, she kissed me and held my hand, we walked inside as the sun started to set. I started on our dinner as she sat down on the bed, exhausted.

"What did you and Cyrus exchange?" I asked over my shoulder. She smiled and pulled out a piece of paper, showing it to me, it was his autograph but it was addressed to Jay. "It's a birthday present to him, Nya asked for help to find him something. Oh, and speaking of birthdays, your's is coming up!" I chuckled, "My father told you?" She smiled innocently, "No, I asked him. Why didn't you tell me it was coming up?" "Because it isn't my actual day of birth, I was powered on that day." She sighed dramatically, "Fine, why didn't you tell me your powered-on-day was coming up?" I laughed, "I didn't think it was important, I was designed to last many decades, so individual birthdays weren't important to me." "Well it is to me! How old are you anyways?" "I was created forty-six years ago." Her eyes grew wide, "Really?! That's so cool!" "Glad you think so." She hugged me and kissed my cheek, "I am going to bake you a cake for your birthday! And you can't say anything to dissuade me!" I smiled and said, "I wasn't going to stop you, at least it isn't Cole baking it." "He would blow it up!" Mel laughed. We ate dinner and she washed the dishes as I climbed into bed. She turned around and saw me in bed, "Well, goodnight Zane." She walked over and kissed my forehead. "Are you planning on sleeping on the table?" I asked, she shrugged. "It's actually kinda comfy." I held her hands and said, "You can sleep here if you wish." She nodded and crawled up beside me, nuzzling into my chest. "For being the ninja of ice, you're actually pretty warm.." she said, her voice muffled slightly. I smiled and wrapped her in the blanket, and we fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

(Zane's POV)

I woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. She was still asleep, so I carefully climbed out and opened the door. When I looked out, no one was there except for a newspaper wrapped in a plastic bag. I brought it inside and took it out, shocked at the headline. Robotic Ninja In Ninjago City, underneath was the picture of her on the ground with her panel slightly open. I read the article and paled, they made her sound like a monster, a complete freak. I grew angry reading it, as I placed it on the table I saw a note with familiar handwriting. Zane, what happened? Is this picture real? Come to the Bounty ASAP. We will be on the hill by 4Weapons up till Thursday-afternoon. ~Nya.

I placed the note next to newspaper and started on breakfast as she slept. _What is she going to think when she reads it? I want to hide it from her, but she'll find out eventually. She's going to be crushed by this._ As the minutes passed, the nervous feeling grew in my stomach until she woke. She slowly lifted her head and greeted me, "Morning. What time is it?" I glanced at the clock, "Nine twenty-five. How did you sleep?" She yawned before replying, "Fine, I guess. I had an odd dream though, what about you?" "I slept well. What was the dream about?" She moved her hair out of her eyes and said, "Uh, well, I don't really know how to explain it.."

I sat down next to her, "You can tell me." "Well, it was about us and our relationship." She blushed a bright pink and nervously played with her hair, trying to untangle it. "What happened?" "Well, we went on another date and...you proposed." "What did you think about it?" I asked, turning away to hide my pink face. I felt her frail fingers gently touch my jaw and turned my head to hers then she gently kissed me. "I loved every minute of it." she whispered. "I-I hope that comes true in our future, would you agree?" She smiled, "Of course, as long as it's with you. There is no one else I would ever dream to be with." I kissed her forehead and sighed contently, "You are the only person I want to be with." She glanced towards the table, my heart stopped as she asked, "What's that?" Before I could answer, she stood up and walked over, her hand covered her mouth in horror. "Zane? What is this?" she quietly asked. I walked up beside her and just held her. Tears started to run down her cheeks, I wiped them away with my thumb. "Why Zane? Why would they write this?" she sobbed. I held her to my chest as she sobbed, "Don't listen to what they've said." She just cried into my chest, my heart broke for her.


	9. Chapter 9

(Mel's POV)

Robotic Ninja?! That's what they called me?! I couldn't believe their hurtful words. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. They don't know you like I do. They are hurtful people, not knowing the extent of their words." I still felt horrible, but I knew Zane was right. I felt his strong hand lift up my chin until I was looking into his beautiful blue eyes. "Try to forget about it. Try to think about better things." He gently kissed me, I remembered my dream and felt a little better. "Tell me about your dream." Zane said in a hushed tone. We sat down on his bed and I recalled it...

Zane laced his hand with mine as we walked along the beach, the sun setting on the horizon. "I can't believe Jay and Nya just got married!" I said. Zane smiled and gently squeezed my hand, "That was a nice wedding. Would you ever want to get married?" I replied, "As long as it's to you." He stopped and looked into my eyes, "Then, Melissa," He got down onto one knee and asked, "will you marry me?" He pulled out the ring and I tackled him in a hug, repeating, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I looked away from him as my face burned from blushing. _I can't believe I just told him about that! What if he doesn't feel the same way? I want to be with him forever, would he want the same?_ He gently turned me to face him, I saw he was blushing as well. "Why are you blushing?" Zane asked me. I played with my hair and mumbled, "Because...I hope that happens.." He brought his lips to mine and kissed me gently, "I would love it if we spend the rest of our lives together." I smiled and rested against him. I listened to the sound of his heart as it lulled me almost to fall asleep, but his deep voice woke me back up, "Nya wishes us to visit her on the Bounty." "Okay, let's go." I said, Zane laced his hand with mine and we walked outside.

{later}

We landed on the deck of the newly rebuilt Destiny's Bounty, the other Ninja and Nya came out and greeted us. "Hey, guys. How's it going?" Kai asked. "Uh..pretty well." I said. "What are you doing here?" Cole asked. "Nya wished to speak with me." Zane replied, glancing at her. "Hey, do you wanna play some video games?" Kai asked. I nodded, he and the rest led me away as Zane and Nya talked. We walked below deck as the old rooms and memories surrounded me. Finding the Bounty with Zane, finding out Lloyd was the Green Ninja, the Great Devourer attacking. So many memories over the years, it made me smile as we went to the gaming room. "Hey, Mel, I bet I can beat you in Fist to Face 2!" Kai challenged. "You're on!"


	10. Chapter 10

(Zane's POV)

"Is the picture real?" Nya asked as soon as Mel was gone. "Yes, it's completely real." "What happened?" I leaned against the railing and sighed, "We went to New Ninjago City to help with the clean up, but as we were walking around, someone pointed us out and photographers and camera crews surrounded us. She became frightened and tripped on the curb, when she fell her panel opened. The cameras took the picture before she ran away." Nya sighed as well, "How did she react when the paper came?" I lowered my head slightly in defeat, "She was devastated. I had to find a way distract her from it. It's worked out well so far." Suddenly we heard Kai and Jay yell out in defeat, "Oh, come on!" "You cheated!" Nya smiled, "I think the guys are as well. Will you go back to the city anytime soon?" "I do not know. If people see her, it may trigger the memory of this."

We heard footsteps running up on to the deck, Mel came up and handed something to Nya, "I almost forgot, I got this yesterday. This is Jay's birthday present, when the time comes, of course." She handed her the paper and Nya gasped, "Is this Cyrus Borg's autograph?" She nodded, "When Zane and I went to New Ninjago City, we met him and I got his autograph." Nya smiled, "This is perfect! Thank you." Mel nodded, "No problem, now if you'll excuse me, I have to beat Jay and Kai at Fist to Face 2." She kissed me then ran back down the stairs. I smiled at her good attitude, Nya nudged my side. "I see how you look at her, you love her!" I turned pink, "Yes, I do. I wish to marry her someday." Nya became excited, "Oh you should do it! She loves you too!" "But I want to wait for the right moment." Nya sighed, "Okay. But you will propose?" "Yes, someday."


	11. Chapter 11

(Mel's POV)

"Beat you again!" I laughed. Kai grumbled angrily as Jay whined, "You cheated!" "What! I won fair and square! I haven't even played this game in months!" Cole laughed at us from the couch, "Feels like nothing's changed between us." I smiled. _Just like old times_. "So, how's it been with you and Zane?" Cole asked. "Amazing, actually. I think we've actually grown closer together." I heard Kai quietly sigh behind me.

I turned to him, "Kai? Is everything alright?" "Well...it's just...I haven't found that someone for me.." I thought about it for a second and smiled, "I think I know someone for you! And you too, Cole! I have friends that are perfect for both of you!" Kai perked up, "Really?! Where are they?" "They live back home, when I go back I can see if they'll want to go out with you!" Cole spoke, "What're their names?" "Sarah and Gabby." "When are you going to see them?" "Maybe today? I've been meaning to visit them anyways." Both nodded, "Thanks so much!" "No problem, now Jay. I hear you want a rematch?"

(Zane's POV)

I walked through the Bounty's halls, visiting the old rooms and looking for the others. I could hear Jay complaining about Mel cheating and smiled. I looked through the window and saw them playing their favorite video game. _There has been one room I've always wanted to visit, but never had the chance_. I walked down the hall to the last door and slowly opened it, walking into the bedroom. The room didn't have much furniture; just a bed, a few bookshelves, a closet and a desk. The bookshelves were overflowing and I noticed several spell books and books about potions mixed in. I noticed a floor length mirror but it didn't show my reflection, it showed her with Kai, Jay and Cole.

"So when are you leaving?" Cole asked. "Probably at midday. That's the easiest time to teleport." Mel replied. _Mel's leaving? Where's she going? Is she breaking up with me?_ I reached up to the mirror, as soon as I touched the glass I fell through and ended up in the room with them. Mel looked up at me completely shocked as Jay cheered, "Ha! Finally beat you, Mel!" He looked up and jumped slightly, "Zane! Where did you come from?" "Did you come from my old room?" Mel asked. I barely nodded, I was trying to understand how I fell through the mirror. "You went through my scry mirror, Zane. It shows you what you wish to see. If you touch it, you'll go to that place." Mel explained. "Are you leaving?" I asked sadly. "Oh, Zane! You didn't hear the whole conversation. I was going back home to visit my old friends. I was going to tell you after you were done talking with Nya." she said. "You aren't breaking up with me?" I asked quietly. I heard her walk up to me and felt her hand under my chin, she lifted my head so I would look into her eyes, she smiled, "I would be insane to break up with you. I will never break up with you, Zane. I promise." I smiled and she kissed me.

{2 hours later}

We stood on the Bounty's deck, Mel was getting ready to leave for her old home. "How long will you be gone for?" I asked. "I don't know, hopefully a few hours." I hugged her one last time and she smiled, "If anything goes wrong, I promise to call you." She kissed me and disappeared.


	12. Chapter 12

(Mel's POV)

I appeared in my old hometown and pulled out my phone. _Sarah, it's me, Melissa. I'm back in town, do you wanna meet me by Dairy Queen?_ I looked up and noticed a building that was never there before. _What is that? That was never there when I was here_! Then my phone vibrated. _Missy! Where did you go? Sure, meet you there in 10 min._ I teleported to Dairy Queen and got ice cream, as I sat outside I stared at the building, trying to figure out why it looked familiar. Ten minutes later, Sarah came running up to me, "Missy! I can't believe that it's really you! Where have you been?" I smiled, "I've been...out of the country. What's that building?" I pointed to the only skyscraper. "That's Borg Industries. It was finished only two days ago, but strange things have been happening since it's been constructed." "Like what?" "Well, these weird robotic people have been around the city, it's like they're searching for someone. Look, there's one now."

She pointed at a figure wearing black, purple and silver. I noticed there were two metallic silver katanas on his back, I got a very bad feeling just looking at him. "How many are there?" I whispered. "Lots, why are you whispering?" "Cause I have a bad feeling about this." Suddenly, the figure stopped and faced us. I could see his red eyes from across the street, he pulled out one of his katanas and I could hear the metal clang from my spot. Then, he charged at us. "Shoot! Hold on, Sarah!" I grabbed her and teleported to an old house in the rural areas. She pushed herself away from me, freaked out, "Okay, what was that?! How did we go from there to...here?! What is that thing?!" I mumbled, "I've heard rumors, but never thought they were true." "Missy, what was that?!" "That was a nindroid created by the Overlord. I've heard about them, but never expected them to be here. Wait, where's Gabby?"


	13. Authors Note

Sorry for the inconvenience, but this story actually continued into another story but it's unfinished. The next few chapters are parts from the story leading up to A New Life, another story I'm writing.

Characters that are introduced:

Sarah: one of Mel's friends from her hometown, she is the Ninja of Nature and can shapeshift. She is Cole's girlfriend.

Gabby: Kai's girlfriend, finds Mel's spell book and teaches the Ninja, Sarah and Izzy to teleport and to create objects from nothing.

Izzy: Lloyd's girlfriend.


	14. Chapter 14

{Nya's Bachelorette Party}

The girls and I were on the Ninjago beach, around a large bonfire. Nya was getting married to Jay tomorrow, and we were celebrating. The Ninja were celebrating with Jay, but I didn't know where they were. Izzy, Lloyd's girlfriend, had started playing her iPod and everyone but me was dancing. Sarah, Cole's girlfriend, came over and sat next to me, "What's wrong?" "I don't dance." "Why? I didn't dance until Cole took me on our first date and we danced. So why don't you?" I shrugged, "I just don't." I didn't want to tell her that I was also missing my boyfriend. _You'll see him soon_. But I kept arguing with my conscious. _I know, but it hurts to be away from him._ "Mel?" I shook my head, "Sorry, lost in thought." Sarah grabbed my hands and pulled me up, "Come on! It's a party! Relax and have fun!" She twirled me in a circle, and I couldn't help but laugh. "I wonder how the guys' party is going?" Nya asked. "They've probably broken something by now." Sarah laughed.

Suddenly, I felt arms around my waist and I screamed. Apparently, this happened with the other girls since they screamed too. I was lifted into the air by someone, but I couldn't tell who. "Throw them in the water!" Cole yelled. _Wait...Cole?! Does that mean Zane's here?! _Every girl screamed, "Noooo!" We were carried towards the water, four of the five guys were laughing. "No, don't Cole! Don't you dare throw me in!" Sarah yelled, flailing around. Cole laughed, "Sorry, no can do!" Gabby growled. "Kai, if you throw me into the water I'll-" "You'll what? I can't hear you over my awesomeness!" Kai interrupted. "Please, Zane! Don't do it!" I pleaded, flailing and squirming in his iron grasp. We were brought into the water. "Sorry, Mel." Zane said quietly. Then, we were dumped into the freezing water, I swam to the surface and gasped for air. As I surfaced, the other girls screamed from the cold.

"Hey Cole," Sarah said through her chattering teeth, "would you like a hug?" She opened her arms and waded towards him. Cole shook his head quickly, then took off running with Sarah on his heels. "I only want to give you a hug!" Sarah called as she chased him. "Nooooo!" Cole screamed. I smiled, "Great idea, Sarah! Come on guys, let's give 'em a hug!" Our boyfriends ran away from us, I chased after Zane, laughing. "I'm sorry!" Zane kept yelling. Izzy chased Lloyd, Sarah kept chasing Cole in circles, Gabby chased Kai and Nya chased Jay. Finally, Sarah caught up to Cole and soaked him. "You're so cold!" Cole yelped. "It's a gift." Sarah said. Finally, we caught up with our boyfriends and embraced them. I tackled Zane to the ground and laughed. But I started shivering after I caught up with him, he picked me up and placed me by the bonfire. "Let's warm you up." Zane said softly. The other Ninja followed suit and placed their shivering girlfriends by the fire.

"Just sit by the fire and warm up." Kai said. I could see the guilt on the guys' faces, they apologized to us promptly. "We're sorry, we just wanted to play a joke on you." "It's okay." "Hey, what happened to your bachelor's party, Jay?" Sarah asked. He shrugged, "We decided to crash your party instead." "That's kinda sweet, now we can all spend the night together before the big day!" I said, resting against Zane. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my cheek. "Aww, I can't wait! And we did everything before we came here, except for the cake to celebrate. So when we get back, we'll start on the cake!" Sarah said. "I'm so excited, I hope everything goes well." Nya said. "Of course it will. If I'm getting married to you, everything will be perfect!" Jay said, kissing her. All the girls cooed at them. _I hope Zane and I can be like that someday._

{Later that night}

I wanted to get the cake ready for Jay and Nya, "I'm going to start on that cake." I got up and kissed Zane, then went to the house to bake. _I can't believe Jay and Nya are getting married tomorrow! It's going to be so romantic! _I got the ingredients and started to mix them together.


	15. Chapter 15

(Zane's POV)

As she walked towards the house, I felt the small box in my pocket. _Will she say yes?_ I thought nervously. "Hey Zane, can we see the ring?" Sarah asked. I nodded, "Sure." I pulled out the white box and opened it, the diamond shone in the firelight. The girls all gasped. "Ooh, she'll love it!" Sarah exclaimed. My hopes rose, "You think so?" Gabby smiled, "Oh, we know so!" I felt a knot in my stomach, "I'm nervous about proposing...what if she says no?" Everyone stared at me as if I went insane. "Have you seen you two?!" Cole exclaimed, exasperated. "Of course she'll say yes!" Sarah said. Gabby spoke softly, "Don't worry, she loves you too much to say no." "I've seen how she looks at you." "Sarah even made you two 'the cutest couple'." Cole said. I smiled, "I guess you're right."

From the house, Mel called out, "Cake's ready!" Sarah shot up and exclaimed, "I'm decorating!" She sprinted across the sand and into the house. Everyone slowly stood up and followed, I kept glancing at the small box in my hands. When everyone was inside, Mel and Sarah brought out the freshly decorated cake. It was a marble cake with white frosting and blue flowers on the borders. I could see a hidden snowflake design within the white frosting. "It's beautiful!" Nya exclaimed. "Wow, that's amazing." Jay said. "I used your blue color and decided to make some flowers to add to the cake." Sarah said. Mel and I locked eyes and she mouthed 'I did the snowflakes' and smiled. "It's perfect!" Nya said. "Thanks guys." Jay said. "Let's celebrate!" Cole exclaimed, staring at the cake. Mel cut the cake into ten equal slices and toasted to the engaged couple. "To Jay and Nya, to have a happy life together!"

{Before the Wedding}

I was ready in my black tuxedo as Jay got into his, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach fluttering around. I pulled out the ring as the scene played out in my head. _After the flower toss, Mel will catch the flowers and I will propose. Hopefully all goes well._ I didn't notice Jay walk over to me until he spoke, "Don't worry, Zane. Everything will run smoothly." It sounded like he was trying to comfort us both. "I know. I am just wondering how Mel will react." _Will she say yes or no?_ I thought nervously. "She'll probably be ecstatic." Cole walked in, "Well, I just got word that the wedding is starting soon, so we need to get in place." We walked out of the room as Jay walked to the altar.

I saw Mel grabbing the bouquet and I became nervous and stuttered, "H-hey Mel.." She turned and blushed pink, "Hi, Zane. You look nice." "Thank you, and you look beautiful." She turned a darker shade of pink, "Thanks. You guys need to come with me to get into line, I need to grab the other girls and give Nya her bouquet." I watched as she raced to the girls' room, still pink from blushing. Kai nudged me and smiled, "Don't worry, man. It'll go well, I'm sure of it." I smiled and we walked down the hall as the girls came out of the room, dressed in their blue bridesmaids dresses. Sarah moved us into our orders to walk down the aisle, "Remember Zane and Mel go first, then Kai and Gabby, then Cole and me and Lloyd with Izzy and finally Nya."

I linked arms with Mel as the music started, we walked down the aisle with familiar faces smiling at us. Our Sensei nodded and smiled, Jay's parents were in the front row as Edna was already tearing up, several of Nya's old friends were in the crowd as well. We split apart, the girls on one side and the guys on the other. Nya came up to the altar and they held hands.

The minister started the wedding, "We are gathered here today to bring together these two in holy matrimony. Jay Walker and Nya Flamely, would you like to say your vows?" Jay smiled, "I'll start. Nya, I have loved you ever since I saw you in the Fire Temple all those years ago. I will always love you, I promise that I will be the best husband for you, to love you everyday from here to the end of time." "Jay, you are the sweetest person in all of Ninjago. Even though you tried to be someone you're not, I still loved you. I told you that you are the best you, and I stand by my word. I will love you, Jay Walker, to the end of my days." The minister spoke, "May I have the rings?" Mel brought the rings up and handed it to Jay and Nya. They put the rings on each other as the minister told them what to repeat. Finally, he said, "I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride." Jay and Nya kissed as Sarah had doves fly over them, everyone cheered for the new couple.

We followed the couple down the aisle as the crowd tossed rice on them. I wondered why, "Mel, why did everyone throw rice on them?" "It's tradition. It means that hopefully they'll have a happy life together with children in the future." I nodded and we went to the reception. On the deck of the Bounty, everyone celebrated the wedding as the music started, Jay and Nya walked to the center and started to dance slowly. _It's almost time_. I thought nervously. Mel rested against me and sighed, "It's so romantic." I felt the box in my pocket and secretly pulled it out, glancing at it nervously. As the song ended, I placed it back in as other couples walked onto the dance floor.

Without thinking, I pulled her out and we started to dance. She wrapped her arms around my waist and rested against me as we swayed to the music. Halfway through the song I stopped, I brought her to the center of the floor and held her hands, my heart was pounding furiously as my hands shook. "Mel, I have something I need to ask you." I said, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice. "Yes Zane?" she asked. I knelt down onto one knee as I held her hands. "Zane?" Mel asked surprised. "Melissa, I have known you for many years now and I've always known you were the one for me." I pulled out the box and she gasped, I could see tears brimming in her eyes. I had to finish whether she accepted or declined. "Will you marry me?" I asked, holding up the white box. She started to cry as everyone watched us intensely. "Oh Zane! Of course I will!" Mel suddenly tackled me in a hug and kissed me. I laughed and kissed her back, placing the ring on her finger. "Yay!" Sarah exclaimed, rushing over to us. "You're getting married!" Gabby cheered as we stood up. Our friends walked over to us as Nya said, "We totally knew it." "What?" Mel asked. "He's been planning this for awhile now." I blushed, Mel said, "You're so sweet." She hugged and kissed me again. _I'm the luckiest man in the world!_


	16. Chapter 16

{The Night Before Our Wedding}

Mel was holding onto me as Jay said, "You two need to be separated for the next twelve hours." "Why?" Mel asked sadly. Nya walked over to us, "It's what you do before a wedding. The bride and groom sleep apart the night before so they can be together forever." Sarah said, "It's tradition, so say goodbye to your man and go to your room, it's going to be a girls' night tonight!" Mel sighed, "Okay..." She looked up and kissed me, "I'll see you tomorrow." As she walked away, I could hear her mutter, "This is going to be a long night." Sarah, on the other hand, was excited, "This will be so much fun!"

The five girls headed to Mel's room, my brothers and I watched them go. Cole playfully nudged my side as their door closed, "Hey man, you're getting married tomorrow!" I couldn't help but smile, "I know, it's going to be wonderful. I'm finally going to marry the girl of my dreams." Jay said, "Come on, Zane! Get excited! Tomorrow, it's going to be you and the new Mrs. Julien!" "I know, it's amazing!" Butterflies fluttered in my stomach._ I can't believe it's going to happen tomorrow_!

Cole asked, "What do you guys want to do to pass the time?" We looked at each other with blank faces. "How about we play some video games?" Jay proposed. We agreed and started to play. Half an hour later, my brothers were bored again. "What can we do now?" Jay whined. "We can spy on the girls." Cole said mischievously. I had a bad feeling about it though. "Let's do it!" Kai and Jay exclaimed. "Are you sure?" I asked nervously. "It's fine. Let's play a joke on the girls!" Lloyd said excitedly. "Like Nya's bachelorette party?" Jay asked. "Similar..." "What were you thinking?" "Maybe we can scare them?" "How?" Cole perked up, "We cut the power, and when they come out to investigate...we scare them!" "When we do that, why don't we each grab one and separate them?" "Now we're talkin'!" "I don't know about this.." I said uneasily. "Come on, it'll be fun!" "We have our plan, let's do it!" Jay went to the circuit breaker and waited for Cole's command. "Jay, cut the power." The lights went off and the girls screamed.

(Mel's POV)

Right before I walked into my room, I looked back at Zane and smiled shyly just before Sarah pushed me in. Gabby put in the movie and we laid on my bed, watching and eating popcorn. About a half hour in, I started to get the pre-wedding jitters. "I'm so nervous about tomorrow!" I said. "Don't be!" Sarah said. "It's not as scary as you think." Nya coaxed. "I know, but what if something goes wrong? Or what if I back out? What if Zane backs out?" I panicked. "Honey, you see the way he looks at you. He loves you too much to even think about backing out of the wedding." Sarah said softly. "I know, I just hate being away from him." "Don't worry, you'll see him soon." Gabby said. "This wedding will be awesome, just you wait!" "Thanks guys." I said. "Hey, what would you do without us?" I faked a sad sigh, "I'd be sad."

The four girls hugged me and we continued to watch the movie. After a few minutes, the power suddenly went out. I could hear three different screams in surprise. I held out my hand and a small flame appeared, the girls followed behind me as we walked into the hall. As soon as I was in the hallway, someone grabbed me, covering my mouth and yanked me into one of the rooms. As I fell onto the bed, I freaked out, "Who are you and what do you want?!" Then a familiar voice said, "It's me." My heart skipped, "Zane?!" I felt him walk over and sit beside me, "I'm so sorry, it was the guys' idea. They pushed me into doing this." I tried to laugh, but it came out completely panicked and hysterical, "You scared me to death!" I could feel his arms around me, "I'm so sorry, it wasn't my idea." I thought about it and my heart skipped again, "We can be together now!" I heard him laugh and say, "Yes, we can." We laid down together, wrapped in each other's arms and fell asleep happily.


	17. Chapter 17

{The Day of our Wedding}

I slightly woke when I heard the door creak open, someone whispered, "They're in here. Which one should we grab?" _Grab_? "Let's get Zane, he's a deep sleeper." I tightened my grip on him._ Why do these voices sound familiar? I'm too sleepy to care_. I heard several footsteps walk in and felt something move next to me, I reached out for him as he was carried away. "Zane..." I mumbled. "How does she do that?!" "Do what?" "She always knows when he's gone!" "She probably felt the difference, now come on! Let's get him to a different room before she wakes." "No...Zane.." I mumbled again, reaching out for him. The door closed and I finally figured out who was talking; Kai, Sarah and Cole. I fell back asleep.

{a few hours later}

I was with my bridesmaids getting ready for my wedding. 'My wedding, oh my God. I'm getting married!' As I pulled out my dress, my hands started shaking slightly. "Are you okay, Mel? You look kinda pale." Sarah asked. "I'm just a little nervous." I said. Nya placed her hand on my shoulder, "You have nothing to be nervous of. Everything will be perfect." I started panicking, "Are you sure? What if I can't do this? What if Zane bails? What if something goes wrong?" "It's going to be fine. Neither of you will back out and everything will be perfect." I tried to take in a deep breath, "Okay...okay...no, I can't do this! What if he gets cold feet or someone crashes the wedding?" "No one will crash the wedding." Izzy comforted. "It will be perfect." Sarah said. "Woman, get a hold of yourself! It's your wedding and everything will be fine!"

We stared at Gabby, shocked at her outburst. "Well then...you heard her! Get it together!" I started pacing nervously, rubbing my hands together. _I don't want anything to go wrong! Zane is the only person I've ever loved and I don't want anything to go wrong!_ "I'll go check on the groom. Sarah, wanna come?" Izzy asked, inching towards the door. "Yes! Come on before something happens." They walked out the door, I started to hyperventilate as I paced. "Girl calm down!" Gabby exclaimed. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" I kept exclaiming. Gabby and Nya sat me down on the bed as I kept hyperventilating. I didn't notice Sarah and Izzy walk back in a few minutes later. "Calm down Mel!" Nya exclaimed. "Mel!" Sarah yelped. "What?" "Zane wanted to tell you that he can't wait to see you at the altar."

I smiled, which faltered a second later, "I can't believe that I'm getting married!" Sarah sighed dramatically, "Jeez girl. You're getting married to your one true love that happens to be the sweetest, most caring guy you can find." I took in a deep breath and sighed, "You're right, but what if I'm not good enough for him or what if he finds someone better?" "That's the thing, they're only 'what ifs', not real life." "I hate it when you're right. I'm really glad I found Zane." "You two were meant for each other. I guess literally too since he helped build you..." "Yeah, I guess." "That's sweet, but we should be getting ready. It's almost time." Izzy said, glancing at the clock. "Sarah, can you do my makeup?" "Sure." I sat down in front of the mirror as she got the makeup ready. "I need you to close your eyes." Sarah said. "Why?" "Because I don't want you to see it until I'm done." "Um, okay." I closed my eyes and I could feel the brush strokes along my eyes and cheeks. "Alright, you can look now." I opened my eyes and gasped at the beautiful makeup; a bluish gray eyeshadow and slight blush on my cheeks, "It's beautiful!" "Thanks, now that we have this done, let's get you into your dress and then to Zane." "Alright." I slipped into my dress and grabbed my bouquet, Sarah and I walked to where the rest were waiting. I saw everyone but Zane waiting for us.

"You look beautiful!" Izzy gasped. "Zane is one lucky man." Cole said. I blushed. "Zane is lucky to have you. Anyways, we need to get a move on!" Sarah said, organizing everybody in the line. "Yep, you guys know the drill. Everyone in a line!" Nya said. Everyone was paired up as the music started. "There's the music, start walking people!" Everyone started walking, my heart was pounding with each step I took. Halfway down the aisle, I looked up and saw Zane by the altar. My heart stopped as he smiled, I wanted to skip to the altar from pure happiness. _Oh. My. God. I'm getting married to Zane! He looks so handsome in his tux! I'm the luckiest girl in the world! _Once I reached him, Zane and I held hands as my heart was racing, I couldn't stop smiling as I stared into his beautiful blue eyes. "Would you like to say the vows?" the minister asked. "Zane, you are my other half. I will follow you to the ends of the earth. I vow to never leave your side, to help you with whatever you need. To love you every minute of every day and to show you how much I love you. To protect you from anyone or anything. I love you, Zane." "Mel, I have loved you ever since I first saw you, and everyday after. I will keep you safe from all danger for you are my soul mate. I will never leave you and I will love you everyday of my life."

Sarah brought up the rings and I placed Zane's on his finger as he did with me. "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Before I could move, Zane wrapped his arms around my waist and dipped me. We kissed as our friends cheered for us. We broke apart and walked down the aisle together, rice was thrown and stuck in our hair. At the reception, we were the first to dance. I rested against him as we swayed to the music, halfway through the song he dipped me again and we kissed. I giggled like crazy as we danced together, I was the happiest I've ever been.

We walked off the floor and cut the cake together, then talked about our honeymoon. "Where would you like to go?" I thought about it for a second, "I've always wanted to tour around Ninjago, instead of saving it." "And so we shall." his deep voice soothed. I kissed him and said, "I love you so much." "I love you more." I leaned against his chest and watched our friends dance. Zane's father came over and congratulated us, "Congrats you two! It was a beautiful ceremony." "Thank you father. It's nice to have you here." Zane said. "I can't thank you enough for saving my life. Without you two, I wouldn't be standing here and I wouldn't be married to you, Zane." "I'm glad that you're here with us, you're going to be a wonderful addition to the family." Dr. Julien said.


	18. Chapter 18

{honeymoon pt.1}

We stood in the living room of the Bounty, getting ready to leave for our honeymoon. We said our goodbyes and teleported to New Ninjago City. "Where shall we go first?" I asked, glancing around at the city. "I know the perfect place." Zane said, his hand entwined with mine. "Where's that?" "Trust me." "Always have, always will." We walked through the city, I was still avoiding any paparazzi from our first encounter. We talked about our future together; when we should buy our first home, if we should start a family.

Then Zane covered my eyes. "Zane! What're you doing?" I laughed. "You'll just have to wait and see." After a few minutes, he finally removed his hands, "We're here." I gasped, "I've always loved this park! How'd you know?" He blushed slightly, "When you would disappear for an hour at a time, I got worried so I followed you once. You came here and you looked so peaceful, I wanted to make you happy." I kissed his cheek, "That's sweet that you cared for me, thank you so much!" We walked through the park, resting in the shade of a willow tree for a while. "This is so romantic!" I sighed, resting against him. He wrapped his arms around me and smiled, "I love every minute that I'm spending with you." After the park, we went to the beach at sunset. We walked along the shore as the sun set, relaxing to the sound of the waves on the sand. As the temperatures started to drop, we went back to the hotel and checked into our room. As Zane got dressed, I flopped onto the bed and already started to doze off. Before I could say anything to Zane, I fell asleep.

(Zane's POV)

After I got dressed for bed, I turned and saw Mel had already fallen asleep. I smiled and decided to check in with my brothers back home. I picked up my cell phone and dialed the home phone. "Hello?" "Hello, Kai. It's Zane." "Hey, what's up?" "I just wanted to check in. Mel was wondering how you are doing." "Oh, we're doing fine. Some pranks and lots of cake eating, so it's pretty normal." "That's good to hear." The phone was passed to Sarah, "Hey Zane! How's Mel and how's the honeymoon going?" "She's fine, she fell asleep right after we came to our hotel room. The honeymoon has been wonderful so far." "What have you done so far?" "We've been to her favorite park and the beach." "Aww, you are so sweet." "Thank you, it has been lovely so far." I heard someone in the background. "Gabby's wondering what else are you planning on doing?" "I was going to show her around, she wanted to see my old village as well as the countryside." "That's awesome." "Thank you." "Well, you better hang up and get back to your woman before she wakes up. Bye!" "Good bye." I hung up and quietly laughed, Sarah always had an interesting way with words. 'Maybe we could go searching for our first home together?' I crawled into bed and laid down beside her but I couldn't sleep. As I stared at the ceiling, I became lost in thought about our discussion earlier.

{Earlier that day}

"When should we move in together?" Mel asked. "As soon as we find the right house. Will we live here or where you're from?" She never said where she was from, I wondered why. "Let's live here, since this is where you're from." "Are you sure?" "Certain. Zane, should we start a family?" I was slightly startled, "You mean, have a child?" "Yes, do you not want a family?" she asked quietly. "I do wish for a family, it's just...I'm not sure I can.." I let the unfinished sentence hang in the air. "Because you're a nindroid?" Mel asked softly. I slowly nodded, she squeezed my hand. "Zane, we don't have to have a child that way. There are other means; like adoption or a surrogate or..artificial means." I looked at her, surprised, "You would do that? For me?" "Of course! I would do anything for you." "This is why I love you." I gave her a quick kiss before covering her eyes, I wanted our destination to be a surprise.

"...Zane..?" Mel mumbled. I turned to her, her eyes were still closed but she was reaching for me. "Yes Mel?" "Why are you-" she yawned, "still awake?" "I can't sleep." She opened her eyes, "Why?" "I can't stop thinking about our future." She smiled and snuggled closer to me, "I can't stop either, you and I will be together and nothing will change that." As she spoke, I could hear her falling back asleep. She gently pulled me to her, I listened to the sound of her heartbeat. "Try to get some sleep, Zane." She kissed the top of my head and fell back asleep, her heartbeat eventually lulled me into darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

At eight, I woke with Mel cuddled into me. I climbed out of bed and made breakfast, waiting for her to wake. _What should we do today? Maybe we could visit my father? Then we could visit my old village_. I heard her stir in the other room, she walked in yawning and stretching, "Morning, Zane." "Good morning, did you sleep well?" "Yes I-" she yawned again, "did. Where are we going today?" "We can visit Father, then to my old village if you wish." "Awesome, that sounds great." "We'll leave once you're ready. Breakfast is almost done." With a quick kiss, she set the small table in the living room. I brought out our breakfast and we started eating. "This is delicious, you are an amazing chef." "Thank you."

Once we were done, we got dressed and headed out. We linked arms and were teleported to my old home. We appeared in front of the house, I walked up to the door and knocked. Mel started shivering as we waited, I tried to keep her warm. Finally, my father opened the door and beamed at us. "Zane! Melissa! It's so nice to see you two! What're you doing here?" "We just came to say hi." "We're on our honeymoon and wanted to just see what's up." He brought us inside and we talked for a few hours. After we said goodbye, I took her to my old village and showed her around.

She saw the home the villagers gave me, the lake I used to meditate in, and met the people who took care of me. "That was so nice of them to take care of you." Mel said. "They were very kind to me, I owe them much for all they did." Then we went back to our hotel room, I pulled out my laptop and started searching houses as she showered. After ten minutes, she came out and knelt beside me. "What're you up to, Zane?" she asked. "Looking at houses within our budget." "Find any good ones?" "A few." I pulled up the pictures that I liked, Mel pointed to a white and blue Victorian, "That one! That's my favorite!" I clicked on the picture and looked at the interior, "It looks great, we should check it out tomorrow." "Ooh, can we? Pleeeease?" "I'll call our agent, see if she can get an open house for tomorrow." Mel hugged me excitedly and I kissed her cheek. "Thank you Zane!" As I picked up my cell phone and dialed the number, Mel sat down on the bed and waited, after the conversation with the agent was over, I hung up in a good mood, "We got an open house tomorrow!" She squealed and started bouncing on the bed, "Ooh I can't wait! It could be our first home, the excitement is killing me!" I closed the laptop and sat down beside her, "I am excited about it as well, we should get some sleep. We have an exciting day tomorrow." She nodded and laid down next to me, we fell asleep together.

In the morning, I woke when I didn't feel her next to me. "Mel?" I called. She poked her head around the doorway, "Yes Zane?" "I didn't know where you were." She sat down next to me, "I've been up for about half an hour, I couldn't sleep much. Breakfast is ready." I followed her to the living room and sat down at the table. "When's the open house?" "At ten. We have an hour before then." After we ate breakfast and got dressed, we went to a few small shops before heading to the open house.

After we teleported outside, Mel wandered around the property, "Zane! There's a huge forest back here!" I followed her to the backyard and saw the line of trees stretching as far as we could see. I noticed a small hidden path on the property and wondered about it, I looked around at the backyard as Mel wandered around excitedly. "Oh Zane, this would be an amazing yard for our kid to play in! There's a wrap-around porch that we could watch them from, we could build a playground or a swing set!" Mel grew more excited as she thought of our future, I loved seeing her eyes so bright. I heard a car door slam and we walked up to the front and met our agent, Mel was practically bouncing with excitement. "I see you're excited, I won't keep you two waiting." she said, unlocking the door.

Mel raced inside and gasped, "Zane, it's perfect!" I walked in and thought it was as well; the foyer and living room were large, a brick fireplace was built into one of the walls, blue walls with white curtains on the floor to ceiling windows, everything was perfect. An enclosed kitchen was to the right of the entryway, I walked in and saw stainless steel appliances with dark wooden cabinets, two large windows faced the street with white curtains to match the pale wall color, there was also a window looking into the living room. As I went from room to room, I scanned for anything wrong or unstable; any cracks in the walls, structure instability, but I couldn't find anything wrong. The house had four bedrooms and three baths, the second floor had the master and a second room as well as two baths. The master was quite large with a light blue color and thin white curtains, french doors leading to a balcony, a large walk-in closet was included. Across the hall from the master was the other bedroom; it was the second largest bedroom with a decent sized closet, a deep blue color on the walls. Mel was sitting in the center of the floor, I sat down next to her. "What do you think so far?" I asked, she rested against me smiling. "Zane, it's perfect. I can see us living here, this could be our kid's room! I...can't see us anywhere else." "Have you seen the entire house yet?" "No...just the kitchen and this floor. I got distracted by this room." I helped her stand and we finished looking through the home, Mel thought the rooms on the first floor could be a playroom in the future.

We met with our agent in the living room. "So, what do you think?" she asked. "We love it. This could be the one." She nodded, "The owners are ready to negotiate for the price, they are willing to go down ten thousand." "One eighty-nine? That is an amazing price! We should do it!" Mel pleaded. "Are you sure we can pay for the mortgage?" "Yes, I've got that covered." "Alright, we'll do it. We accept the offer of one eighty-nine." "Let me make the call." Our agent left the room and called, we waited anxiously for the news. "If we get it, when will we tell the others?" "When the right moment comes. We will have to be patient." Several minutes later, she came back in, "The owners would like some time to think about it. They are focusing on your offer and will contact you in a few days." I could feel Mel's heart break, "Okay, please let us know as soon as possible." "Of course." Mel took one last look around the house before we left for our hotel room. "Are you okay?" I asked her. "Yeah, I just really wanted that to be our home." I placed my hand on her shoulder, "It's not a definite no, they just need a few days to think about it." She nodded, "Zane, can we head back home? I've loved spending time with you, I just..miss our friends." "I know, we can do that if you wish." She turned and hugged me, "I love you so much, Zane. You're too good to me." We packed up and went home.

After we placed our suitcases in our room, we went to the living room and found Nya, Jay, Izzy and Lloyd relaxing there. "Where are the others?" Mel asked. All four turned around quickly, "They're on their dates right now. And what are you two doing back here?" Mel looked down just barely, "I...was a little homesick." I placed my arm around her, "We had fun while we were gone." "Tell us about it!" Nya said excitedly. Mel told of our honeymoon as we sat down on the couch, we decided to keep the house a secret until the papers were signed and the right moment came. "That sounds so romantic!" Izzy sighed. "So, what did you do while we were gone?" Mel asked. "Well, the girls had a girls' day and we trained." Lloyd said.

"While they were distracted, we scared them to death!" Nya laughed, Lloyd and Jay turned bright pink. "We also went shopping and got our hair done. So pretty much nothing exciting." Izzy said, just as Kai and Gabby came through the door. "Hey, you're back!" Gabby exclaimed, rushing over and hugging us. "How long have you been here?" Kai asked. "About half an hour." I said. "How was it?" "It was wonderful. We went all over Ninjago, I showed her where I lived for a few years and went to the beach." Then the door opened again, this time Sarah and Cole came in covered in paint and cake batter. "Hey!" Sarah exclaimed, "When did you guys get back?" "Half an hour ago, why are you two covered in paint and cake mix?" Mel asked. Sarah burst out laughing as Cole avoided eye contact, "Oh it was hilarious! So Cole and I went on a date; first we went paint balling then to a cooking class and Cole managed to blow up a cake!" Everyone turned to him, he was turning a bright red. "Sounds like him. How did you blow up a cake?" "I don't know, okay!" She held her hands up in surrender and laughed, "Okay, okay. You two should get cleaned up."


	20. Chapter 20

{honeymoon pt.2}

Three days after we returned home, I woke when I got a call from our agent. "Hello?" "Zane? Could you two come to the Ninjago Bistro at nine? The owners would like to discuss your offer on the house." I sat up, "Uh y-yes we can, should we meet you there?" "I have a space reserved for us." "Okay, meet you there." As I hung up, I couldn't believe the news. "...Zane? What is it?" Mel yawned. "The owners want to discuss our offer." She shot awake excited, "Really?! When?!" "At nine." We glanced at the clock, it was seven forty-eight. "Just over an hour, let's get ready and we can head out early." She squealed excitedly and tackled me in a hug, "Ooh Zane! This is so exciting! We might get our first home today!" "Remember to keep this a secret until the right time." I said. Mel pulled out her favorite blue dress and braided her hair. I got dressed in my gray vest with a snowflake design and khakis and we left a note for the others in the living room.

"Are you ready?" I asked, butterflies fluttering excitedly. We linked arms and teleported to the bistro ten minutes early. We found our agent with the reservation and waited for the homeowners to come. After an hour of discussing the home, we signed the papers and departed happily. "So we have three months before we can move in, that gives us plenty of time to tell the others and pack our belongings." As we walked through the city, we kept discussing the plans for the house and a possible family. Then we heard cries for help from one of the side streets. Without any hesitation, we ran down and looked for any danger or where the cries were coming from. By the time we reached the end of the street, it was completely silent. "Zane, I've got a really bad feeling about this.." "You're right, let's head back." We turned around but were startled by the sight of serpentine surrounding us. "Zane?!" Mel asked, backing up to me. Then the snakes charged; we fought back to back trying to protect each other. But in the end we were captured, they started dragging Mel away from me. "Melissa! No, let me go!" I screamed as I struggled to break free. Then I felt a hard blow to my temple and blacked out to the sound of her screaming my name.


	21. Chapter 21

(Mel's POV)

"ZANE! ZANE NO!" I kept screaming, the snakes kept dragging me away from him. Tears were streaming down my cheeks as I screamed his name, the serpentine tied my wrists together and placed a burlap bag over my head after gagging me. Then I felt a sharp blow and blacked out.

{several hours later}

When I finally came to, I tried moving around but my wrists and ankles were bound, I realized my gag and hood were gone though. I heard two snakes talking some distance away, "The girl's still unconscious, what should we do with her in the meantime?" "Take her to the prison cells below until Skales needs her." _Skales? Wait, am I in Ouroboros? _I felt arms grab my bound ones, dragging me from the extreme heat to the cooler area below. I was thrown into the sandy cell and heard the door lock. I sat up and looked around, there wasn't anything that could help me escape. I had a massive headache forming as I tried to break free from the bonds, but it didn't work. "Ugh, this can't be happening! Everything was great before this happened!" I muttered to myself.

I felt tears starting to prick at my eyes as I thought about Zane, I couldn't hold them back. I panicked just thinking about him possibly in trouble. Just then, I felt a hand cover my mouth, covering my scream. "I don't have much time, I have to leave quickly. We just need to know what the snakes want with you. Zane says he loves you and misses you. He's back home and is safe and sound." I smiled and nodded, Sarah wiped my tears away. "Be strong, we'll be back." we heard the snakes coming down the corridor, "I promise." I nodded again and watched as she disappeared, the cell door opened right after she was gone.

"Finally you're awake!" one of the snakes said. "Let's get this over with." said the other. They walked in and grabbed me by my arms, dragging me out. "Do you have to drag me?" I asked, annoyed beyond belief. They ignored me and brought me into the arena where Skales was waiting. They threw me down in front of him, the position I was in made it look like I was bowing to him..which didn't make me any happier. "So we have one of the Ninja, now don't we." he said smugly. "What do you want with me?!" I growled angrily. Skales just laughed, "Like I'll ever tell you!" "Why am I here?" "Because we need you here." My blood turned to ice, "What do you mean?" He slithered in front of me, his eyes glowing red and swirling around. "You'll be a slave to the serpentine. Now, look into my eyes..." I stared into the swirls for a few seconds before glancing away, my memory and consciousness already turning fuzzy. "I will do as you command..." I barely heard myself say. "Excellent, but now's not your time." he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him, "You won't remember any of this until I say. Take her back to her cell." Everything was blurring in and out of focus, I couldn't remember where I just was or where I was going even as I was placed inside a cell. Only one clear thought stayed with me; Zane.


	22. Chapter 22

(Zane's POV)

{after the battle}

Tossing and turning, I woke up in our bed with a horrible headache. I looked around and saw everyone staring at me, I realized Mel wasn't with us. "Where's Mel? How did I get here?" I asked nervously, everyone looked at me sadly. "Zane, you were attacked and knocked out." Cole said softly. "Mel was taken by the Serpentine." Sarah said sadly. I panicked, "No! We have to save her!" Then my head started pounding, I grimaced in pain. "Zane, you need to relax for a bit. You were hit on the head pretty hard, you might have a migraine or something." Sarah said, resting her hand on my shoulder. "I'm fine, let's just get her back." I said determined. "Okay, but we need a plan." "Could you tell us what happened before you were attacked? Did the snakes say anything?" Cole asked, I slowly shook my head. "They didn't say anything. We were walking through the city when we heard cries for help, we ran down the street but were surrounded and..." I choked back a sob, "now she's gone."

Sarah sat down beside me and hugged me, "It'll be alright, we'll get her back." "I know, I just want to protect her." "We will, but like Sarah said, we need a plan." said Cole. Sarah perked up, "Wait! We could look through the scry mirror for her location!" She raced out of the room, I had to lean on Jay for support since I still felt weak. I looked into the enchanted mirror and saw her unconscious in the snakes' city. "She's in Ouroboros!" Cole realized. "Now that we know where she is, it's a matter on how to get her out safely." Sarah said. We watched as the snakes dragged her into the prison cells, then left her with only one guard. "I should get her, she's practically unguarded!" I said while trying to walk, but I ended up losing my balance. "Zane, you need to stay. I'll go check on her." Sarah disappeared, we watched as she appeared in her cell and talked to her. I saw that Mel was crying, I wanted to touch the mirror to go to her but Jay was holding onto me.

Sarah disappeared and reappeared next to me, she looked shaken. We watched and listened as Mel was thrown in front of Skales. "Look into my eyes.." we heard him say. "We have to do something!" Sarah panicked. Cole shook his head sadly, "Not yet." "Why not?!" Sarah turned to me, my heart was breaking but I knew Cole was right, "Zane, tell him we need to save her!" My voice cracked, "I'm sorry, Sarah, but what Cole said is the better option." Her eyes grew wide, "What do you mean 'the better option'?! That's your wife and we need to save her!" Cole said, "Sarah, calm down. We know we need to save her, but we'll help her soon." She turned to me with a pleading look. "I'm sorry, but we need to know why the serpentine wanted her. Once we know that, we'll get her out." I said, my voice cracking. "But what are they doing to her?" "They must be trying to hypnotize her. It's happened to me before." Cole said, "Hopefully she knows not to look him in the eyes, she'll be safe for the time being." Sarah sighed in defeat, "Fine, but I don't know how long I can take it." Cole walked up to her and hugged her, "She'll be fine."

Tears rolled down my cheeks as she was dragged away, but then we heard a serpentine ask, "Sir, why did we capture her and not the white ninja when both were in our grasp?" Skales turned to him, "The girl is the perfect bait for the Ninja to come and save her, then they will fall right into our trap!" "Which is...?" "You weren't paying attention, were you?" "No..." Everyone exchanged glances. "I don't like the sound of that." Jay said nervously. "I'm going to get her." I said, determined. "But you don't know how to teleport." Sarah said. "One of you could teach me." "I'll teach you." She grabbed the spell book and flipped to the page, explaining what I needed to do and what to visualize. "I'm ready." "Good luck, Zane."

I closed my eyes and visualized her, everything around me shifted and changed into a dry and humid environment. I opened my eyes and saw her sitting against the wall, her eyes kept losing focus and glazing over. I covered her mouth, she jumped from being startled, "I'm getting you out of here." I picked her up and held her in my arms as we teleported back. Her eyes were wide in shock and surprise once she focused, "What just happened?" I kissed her from pure happiness to have her safe in my arms, I placed her on the couch as I undid the ropes on her wrists and ankles, "We found why the serpentine wanted you and saved you." I could see marks from being dragged through the sand and rope burns on her wrists and ankles. Before I knew it, she kissed me, she was burning up from the heat, "Thank you for saving me." Everyone gathered around us as I sat next to her. "Thank goodness you're okay!" "Did they hypnotize you?" Her eyes glazed over as she said, "I don't think so." I was worried about her but she focused on me again, "I'm fine." She rested on me, her grip was strong. "I'm sorry I made you worried, Zane." Mel said, her voice muffled by my shirt. I hugged her closer, "As long as you weren't hurt." "I'm fine." I kissed the top of her head as I held her. "I was worried about you, I didn't know what happened to you! You were knocked out and I was alone and..and.." she started crying. I hushed her, "It's okay now. We're together again, safe and sound." After a few minutes, I could tell she was falling asleep on me. I picked her up and carried her to our bedroom and laid her on our bed, I crawled in beside her as she cuddled into me. "Goodnight Zane.." she mumbled, I kissed her, "Goodnight." And we fell asleep.


	23. Chapter 23

The next day, everyone gathered in the dining room for breakfast and to talk about crushing the serpentine once and for all. "What are we going to do about the snake problem?" Sarah asked as Mel brought out the breakfast. "Ouroboros is split into five sectors, we split up and attack from all five sides." Cole said, grabbing a pancake. "Sounds like fun." Mel said sarcastically, sitting down next to me. "We'll split into pairs and work our way into the main arena." Kai said. "So we have a plan, when should we do it?" Sarah asked. "We were thinking as soon as possible." Cole said. "So today or tomorrow?" "Yeah, today's the best option since they wouldn't see it coming." Lloyd said. "I'm fighting." Mel said, determined. I held her hand, I was still worried about her, "Are you sure you're up to it?" She squeezed my hand, "Yes, I'm sure." "Okay, let's get ready."

After breakfast, everyone grabbed their weapons and sparred to get prepared. After half an hour, we were ready. "Can we practice teleporting?" Sarah asked. "Next time, I don't want anything to go wrong." Mel said. I watched as the scenery changed from a forested area to the desert; Mel and I were on one side, I could see Cole and Sarah off to our right and Gabby with Kai to our left. With a quick kiss, we charged inside the stone city, hitting and fighting any snake we saw. Dodging swords and spears, we fought to the center of the arena. "It's the Ninja! Attack!" Skales shouted, but it was too late. We had already taken out over three-fourths of the army by the time they reacted. Not much later we had Skales surrounded; Gabby, Nya and Izzy created a triangle with their swords around his neck.

"You've lost Skales!" Kai said. But Skales smiled, "Not yet..You!" he pointed at Mel, she froze as her eyes glazed over, "You will destroy the Ninja!" Her eyes turned red as she mumbled, "Yes, master..." My heart was pounding, my blood turned to ice, "Mel, snap out of it!" She turned and started attacking me, sending punches and kicks to my head. I dodged and blocked her attacks, trying not to hurt her. "What's wrong with her?!" Sarah exclaimed. Mel turned and started attacking her, I tried to catch my breath as I watched Sarah defend herself. "She's been hypnotized!" Cole yelped. Mel turned to him, I realized that she attacked whoever was talking. "How can we stop her?" Sarah asked, running away from Mel. "Maybe we can knock her out?" Mel spun on her heels and charged at Cole. "I will do it, keep her distracted!" I yelled. Mel skidded to a stop and glared at me. "Hurry Zane! Hey Mel, over here!" Cole called, she turned and charged again. Kai and Sarah grab onto her arms as I snuck up next to her, Mel started screaming as she struggled to break free. "Stop struggling Mel! We're trying to help you!" Sarah pleaded. As soon as Mel turned to face her, I knew it was time to act. "I'm sorry." I whispered before I knocked her out, Mel collapsed in their arms as guilt bubbled up from hurting her. I picked her up, whispering my apologies as I teleported home.

I laid her down on the couch, I kissed her before I went back to my brothers. My brothers held their weapons up to Skales' neck as I walked up to him, anger rolling off me in waves. "You dare put my wife against her own family?!" I yelled angrily. "You're going to pay for that." Kai growled. After a brief battle, Skales was knocked out and locked in the same cell that Mel was locked in, then we headed home. We appeared in the living room, Mel was still unconscious on the couch. "We need to snap her out of her hypnosis." I said, glancing over to her. "Cole, you said you were hypnotized once, how did you break out of it?" Sarah asked. "We had the Sacred Flute back then, but it was lost a long time ago." Cole said. Izzy asked, "Why doesn't Zane just kiss her?" I turned to her, confused. "Izzy, this isn't Disney! Let's try looking in the spell book." Sarah said before grabbing the leather bound book. We crowded around her as she flipped through the pages, I didn't know Mel knew so many spells. Then, we heard her groan from the couch. "Oh no, she's waking up!" Cole yelped. Mel opened her eyes, I could see flakes of red within her blue irises, "Hmm..what's going on? Why are you staring at me?" _She doesn't remember?! _Sarah slowly said, "We're staring at you because you were kinda hypnotized by Skales.." "W-what?" Mel asked, confused. "When you were captured, you fell partially under his control." Kai explained. Her eyes grew wide in shock, "Really?!"

Suddenly she screamed and grabbed her head in pain, my heart broke hearing her in agony. "G-guys...run!" she screamed, shaking severely. She grimaced, then looked up at us angrily. Her eyes were back to the red color, no blue remained. She jumped up and charged at me, I kept dodging her attacks but she was determined to hit me. "Mel, you need to snap out of this!" I pleaded, dodging her punches. My brothers grabbed her arms and restrained her. "Take her to her room! Maybe she'll wear herself out!" Kai said as they dragged her away. She never broke eye contact with me as she screamed, she tried to break free from their grasps. Tears rolling down my cheeks as I collapsed on the couch, I buried my head in my hands as I sobbed. Her screams echoed through the house as she pounded on the door, everyone came back and saw me. "Oh Zane, please don't cry. We'll find someway to change her back." Sarah said, giving me a hug. I couldn't stop crying as Mel screamed from down the hall.

Then a spark of hope flared in my chest, "Maybe I could talk to her?" Sarah looked nervous, "I don't know..." I wiped my eyes, "Please, I know I can snap her out of it!" "We should let him try, but you'll have to do it carefully." Cole said cautiously. After a moment's hesitation, she finally agreed. I got up and walked down the hall, everything was completely silent which made me nervous. I quickly entered our room and saw her sitting on the bed, her red eyes were glowing as she growled at me. "Mel? Do you remember me?" I asked quietly. A deep growl was her only response. I took a few nervous steps forward, "I know you can hear me, Mel. You have to beat this." She growled again, I saw that she was clawing into the mattress. Hope flared in my heart, "You are fighting it! Mel, you can beat this! I know you can!" She screamed in agony and grabbed her head, without thinking I ran to her side and held her. She was shaking furiously in my arms. "...Zane?..." Mel whispered hoarsely. I wanted to cry for joy at the sound of my name, "Yes, I'm right here. You need to fight this!" "It hurts so much.." "I know, but you're strong! You can beat this!" She screamed again and shook even worse, her eyes kept changing from red to blue nonstop as she fought for control. "Fight it Mel! I know you can!" I pleaded. Her eyes flared red and blue together. "Get as far..from me..as possible..NOW!" she screamed.

I jumped back at the anger and pain in her voice as her voice shook from screaming. But I sat back down and held her even harder, tears running down freely. "I will never leave you, no matter what! You mean too much to me to be away from you. I love you, Melissa! I always have and I always will." I kissed her as her eyes changed to blue briefly, her shaking grew even worse as the minutes passed. I held her in my lap as she shook. She started crying from the agony she's suffering, I could only hold her in my arms. "Come back to me Melissa!" I kept pleading to her. Many minutes passed before she collapsed into my arms, her eyes stayed blue as she sobbed into my chest. All she kept repeating was "I love you Zane". I wrapped my arms around her as she sobbed, I couldn't hold back my own tears. The door creaked open, I saw the dents and claw marks on the back of the door from her. Everyone slowly walked into the room, Sarah noticed the damage to the door, "Wow." "How is she?" "She's fine." I said, tears still rolling down my cheeks. After we talked for a few minutes, everyone left and we fell asleep together.

_Epilogue_

Two months later, Cole and Sarah got married followed by Kai and. Gabby and finally Lloyd and Izzy. After the Brookstone's wedding, we shared the news of our home. "We were waiting for the right moment to tell you, but in less than a month we're moving into our first home together!" I said. "When did this happen?!" Sarah exclaimed. "Two months ago, we signed the papers to the house. Just before we were attacked." Mel said quietly. "Oh..is that why you were in New Ninjago City?" Cole asked. "Yes, we looked at the house during our honeymoon." I said. "Well, we wanted to keep this a secret too, but we're also moving out." Nya said. "What?! When?!" Kai exclaimed. "In a month. We've been searching for the right home for the part few weeks. We just signed the deed last week." Jay said. "Congrats you four! Where are you moving to?" Izzy asked. "We're moving to the country." Mel said. "We're moving to Ignacia." Nya said.

-A New Life Begins-


End file.
